Volume 4, Chapter 22: Kallen and Yae Sakura 2

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Xia Chen wasn't exaggerating when he mentioned his large appetite. That evening, right in front of Yae Sakura, he consumed half of a sizable bowl filled with rice balls. The other half was eaten by Kallen.

Sakura felt somewhat conflicted, gazing at the emptied food bowls. In an era where provisions were highly valued, she worried that Xia Chen and Kallen alone could deplete the skykeep's resources.

However, Yae Village had always been prosperous, receiving grain offerings from surrounding villagers. Fortunately, there were no droughts or floods this year, so Yae Sakura did not face a shortage of food supplies.

Moreover, compared to these concerns, she was eager to learn more information.

"Mr. Xia Chen."

Yae Sakura politely asked, "There is still one matter I am unclear about; could you enlighten me?"

Her eyes keenly focused on Xia Chen. "Although I fainted today, I did not completely lose consciousness. It seems that Mr. Xia Chen has some connection with the fox spirit?"

"You still call it the fox spirit even now?" Xia Chen found this intriguing.

Logically, after being controlled by Hiyoshimaru, Yae Sakura should have developed resentment towards it. Moreover, since Hiyoshimaru left her with fox ears, according to societal beliefs of this era, she had effectively become a demonic entity—a symbol of misfortune.

However, the miko understood the distinction clearly: "While the fox spirit may have treated me unfairly, it has protected Yae Village for many years."

Before she could finish, Xia Chen interrupted, "No need to elaborate further. If the fox spirit truly had the power to protect Yae Village, why would sacrifices be necessary for its appeasement?"

Looking at Yae Sakura, he couldn't help but continue, "I've studied some history of Yae Village. The supposed protection from the fox spirit actually involved offerings during droughts, and afterward, both droughts and floods ceased, correct?"

He paused briefly before continuing, "But have you considered that without this fox spirit, perhaps the droughts might not have occurred at all?"

Yae Sakura looked slightly taken aback.

On the side, Kallen, having finished her meal, regained her sharp intellect and asked, "So you're suggesting that the recurring droughts in Yae Village throughout history were actually orchestrated by the fox spirit itself?"

As soon as she said it, she couldn't help but notice the striking similarity between this fox spirit and Schicksal. Many disasters in Europe weren't also engineered by Schicksal colluding with nobles? The fox spirit creating its own calamities, then resolving them to gain benefits from the populace, mirrored Schicksal's approach closely.

She involuntarily recalled the time when Hiyoshimaru controlled her. That so-called fox spirit did not hide its malice towards humans.

The miko, being decisive, responded immediately, "If that's the case, I will find a way to expose and stop this fox spirit from harming the villagers of Yae."

She deliberately referred to the fox spirit as a 'fox demon' now.

Kallen echoed her sentiment, "I'll assist you, unfortunately, I didn't bring Judas along; otherwise, I could be even more helpful."

Upon arriving in the Far East, she had only brought the Fairy Bow developed through Schicksal's Oath of Judah research. Although effective against Honkai Beasts, it was not as versatile as Judas.

Xia Chen remained silent, knowing well that the so-called fox spirit was actually Kallen's black box from Schicksal. Hiyoshimaru within the box likely sensed Rin's consciousness residing in Sakura Petal Fall and sought to consume it.

Thus, Hiyoshimaru aimed to exploit Yae Sakura's hatred for Yae Village, intending to taint Sakura Petal Fall with innocent blood and subsequently devour its consciousness.

As for claiming the drought was orchestrated by the fox spirit itself, it was purely because he didn't want to explain further. After all, at this point, there was no way for him to know about Schicksal's affairs in Europe, so he simply used a convenient excuse.

At this moment, Kallen probably hadn't realized that whatever was inside the black box she brought had already escaped.

If one were to trace the root cause of these events, blame ultimately falls on Mobius. Even now, Xia Chen remains unaware of Mobius' motives behind tampering with the Herrscher of Corruption's black box.

Xia Chen also didn't wish to inquire Mobius about this issue; after all, so much time had passed, making the question irrelevant.

Yae Sakura pondered thoughtfully. "To be honest, this is my first encounter with a fox spirit manifesting. Since I'm unaware of its whereabouts, I wonder if Mr. Xia Chen has any ideas."

"Yes, indeed." Xia Chen's gaze focused on Yae Sakura, more precisely, on the sword at her waist—Sakura Petal Fall.

Rin's consciousness resided within Sakura Petal Fall, but it remained dormant. Currently, it was merely a spiritual blade enshrined in the sky fortress.

"If Miss Yae uses the sword at her waist to slay more demonic beasts, it should likely attract the fox spirit."

Yae Sakura considered his words. "Does Sakura Petal Fall have some connection to the fox spirit?"

"Hmm, they were once part of the same being."

Xia Chen refrained from elaborating further on matters from the previous era, as such details seemed too abstract and distant for people of the present time.

After their conversation, he returned to the room prepared for him by Yae Sakura.

It must be noted that despite living in an age without electricity, residing in the sky fortress was surprisingly comfortable.

The early summer weather was not yet sweltering, and although there were mosquitoes, Yae Sakura had placed incense in the room to ward them off. In this era, living in the sky fortress undoubtedly signified privilege; materially, Yae Sakura enjoyed relative comfort.

However, Xia Chen also noticed that several areas within the fortress were covered with cherry blossoms and dust, left uncleaned.

It was clear that despite residing here, Yae Sakura showed little concern for maintaining the fortress's cleanliness. Perhaps her years spent harboring resentment allowed Hiyoshimaru to exploit these vulnerabilities.

Xia Chen stood by the window, gazing outside.

He doubted Hiyoshimaru would willingly leave and suspected another attempt might be made tonight, possibly exploiting any weakness again.

Whether it would target him directly or once more aim at Yae Sakura remained uncertain.

As he pondered this, he heard a knock on the door.

It was Yae Sakura.

The miko still carried her spiritual blade, and with a hint of apology, she said, "My apologies for disturbing you so late."

"There are matters I have yet to clarify. Earlier, with Kallen present, it wasn't convenient to discuss them openly. Please don't worry, Mr. Xia Chen, I only need a moment of your time."

She paused and looked at Xia Chen, asking, "Who are you?"

Xia Chen was somewhat taken aback, not expecting Yae Sakura to pose such a question.

However, he quickly realized that indeed, he had no established identity or reputation in Yae Village, let alone the ability to manipulate ice against the fox spirit.

How could she be certain he wasn't the next fox spirit?

After a moment's hesitation, he provided an explanation that Yae Sakura might accept.

"You can think of it as having a connection with that fox spirit."

"Are you its enemy?"

"Not exactly," Xia Chen replied after a pause. "Its sister even entrusted me to look after it. Initially, this fox spirit was human too."

He smiled warmly, his expression gentle.

"Well then, I'll head out now."

"What for?"

"As you said, to slay the beast."